Next at the Greek Theatre: The Flaming Lips with Tame Impala and White Denim, Tuesday, $39.50-$49.50; Deftones with Glassjaw, Friday, $39.50; Two Door Cinema Club with Capital Cities and St. Lucia, Saturday, $35

“Wow … the Greek,” said Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos in disbelief, looking out at the well-attended Griffith Park amphitheater. “This is our last run of shows for Gossamer before we go and make a new album, and this one is for all of you that have supported us these past years.”

That was standard concert dialogue, used here to introduce “Constant Conversations,” but the group’s rapid ascent from the literal bedroom of Angelakos to the Greek has very much needed support, both emotionally and professionally. This big L.A. turnout found fans enraptured for the quartet’s 90-minute set, their only headlining date in support of last year’s release besides a smaller Coachella warm-up show at Club Nokia (although they also have appeared at the festival itself, plus KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas and a date with Hot Chip at the Hollywood Bowl).

Passion Pit’s story up to this point is the sort of material that spawns indie films. Boston collegiate Angelakos makes a mixtape of original songs as a valentine for a girl; that mixtape becomes the Chunk of Change EP. He is discovered playing solo shows by music student Ian Hultquist, who recruits others to form Passion Pit, a group of technical wizards led by a songwriting prodigy.

The problem: Angelakos' voice. Early reports from their support of debut LP Manners was that the frontman could not sing his own songs on a nightly basis, as they predominantly feature sky-high falsetto amid upbeat rhythms that give little time for him to relax. Yet by the time they headlined Pomona’s Fox Theater in December 2010, Angelakos had improved greatly as a live performer and the band was attracting high school kids in hordes.

There were very few young people at the Greek, partly because the venue doesn’t always draw younger crowds, but partly because second album Gossamer is a more adult-aimed effort. Angelakos talks openly in the lyrics about his substance use, and before initially touring earlier this year the band had to cancel due to complications from the singer’s bipolar disorder. These are issues that affect people young and old, but it’s likely that teenagers feel less connection to the serious undercurrent of the latest release.

Support from fans, like the outpouring at the Greek, has been particularly important as of late. Recently, after some people reacted negatively to more canceled dates, Angelakos wrote a lengthy letter explaining why bands do that – and received an unfortunate shaming from Spin magazine, resulting in a fit of angry tweeting from the vocalist, the 15 months of album promotion showing its toll on the songwriter’s fragile mental state.

None of this was evident at the Greek, with Angelakos seemingly in great spirits, interacting with the crowd at any possible occasion and sometimes relying on them to hit notes when his voice failed him, as during the chorus peak of “I’ll Be Alright.” It’s also unclear whether the band’s engineer or the Greek’s sound system was responsible for the singer’s sketchy microphone levels. Regardless, he was hung out to dry on more than once.

Angelakos possesses charisma and energy enough to move past any minor flaws like that, and the set’s mix from both albums highlighted just how strong Passion Pit’s material really is.

After “Take a Walk,” Angelakos rhetorically asked: “Who would have thought that song could get on the radio?” The answer: many people, apparently. Both of Passion Pit’s albums are loaded with songs that in a perfect world would be featured routinely – and heavily – on all types of media. Saturday Night Live booked the group after its second album had been out only a couple of months. “Sleepyhead” had been featured on numerous television spots, including for the Palm Pixie, and radio has previously shown interest in “The Reeling.” Commercial success, then, is not a surprise, nor undeserved.

The disbelief, though, isn’t insincere, just more proof of Angelakos’ appeal, as he seems unfazed by fame. His demons remain very real, as does his warmth and the pleasure he gets from entertaining fans, young or old. With two acclaimed albums and feet in doors at multiple demographic levels, the future still looks bright for Passion Pit – and this Greek performance affirmed they have the live presence to back up that studio reach.

The Joy Formidable, the Aussie Welsh trio that opened the show, still hasn’t hit mainstream modern-rock outlets as many had anticipated; their latest album, Wolf’s Law, has been a considerable disappointment, impact-wise if not creatively. Having already appeared in a Jawbone advertisement and headlined the Mayan by the time they were done touring behind strong debut The Big Roar, the band would have hoped to extend its trajectory to a Greek gig of its own by now.

But with scarce few exceptions (Silversun Pickups chief among them), trends currently don’t favor new guitar-rock three-pieces. The Joy Formidable’s music just isn’t infectious enough for the KROQ crowd, leaving the group in a murky middle between indie and commercial.

Yet the band wore the face of success at the Greek, burning through newer favorites like “The Ladder Is Ours” and older cuts like “Whirring” over the course of 35 minutes. Completely likable on stage, the band nonetheless has yet to bottle that magic on record – and needs to figure that out before its window shuts.

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